Monthly Archives: September 2009

The scoop on poop eating

By Edie Jarolim | Published: September 30, 2009
Frankie just came in from the back yard with a satisfied look on his face — and a little piece of dog poop caught in the fur around his mouth. This made me very unhappy for a variety of reasons, but not for the most obvious one: the fact that he was feasting on his [...]
Posted in Dog Health | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Will My Dog Hate Me for Fostering?

By Edie Jarolim | Published: September 29, 2009
Before Frankie came to live with me, he spent a good deal of time in the care of my friend Rebecca, who rescued and fostered him. As I’ve described in the introduction to my new book, AM I BORING MY DOG, she won the affections of the shy guy — to the point that he [...]
Posted in Animal Welfare | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Cruel to be kind

By Edie Jarolim | Published: September 28, 2009
I’ve just finished lunch. The point here is not the food — although my foodie friends would no doubt beg to differ — but the ‘tude. Frankie’s attitude that is. During the entire meal, he was in his traditional spot on a hemp rug about four feet away from the dining room table, staring at [...]
Posted in Dog Training & Behavior | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

How to find a good dog trainer, Part 1

By Edie Jarolim | Published: September 26, 2009
After another bout of a mystery intestinal problem — apparently not related to his diabetes, fortunately, but still worrying — Frankie’s feeling much better, and expressing himself through enthusiastic doggie flatulence. It’s a good thing he’s little. And that I wasn’t planning any dinner parties. So, as promised, I’m beginning my series on how to [...]
Posted in Dog Training & Behavior | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Dog trainers, behaviorists & dupes, oh my!

By Edie Jarolim | Published: September 24, 2009
Somehow, my post on how to find a good dog trainer keeps getting sidetracked, and I’ve begun to realize why. It’s not just that I felt the need debunk the most popular notions of training so as to put the subject into context. It’s also that training is unregulated, and therefore difficult to discuss without [...]
Posted in Dog Training & Behavior | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Dinner at the Dog Dominance Cafe

By Edie Jarolim | Published: September 22, 2009
Honestly, I was planning to forgo all negativity, to stop writing posts with clever — but hostile — titles about a certain TV personality. I was planning to — and still will, I promise — write about how to find a good dog trainer. Then, yesterday, someone posted a link on Twitter to a dog [...]
Posted in Dog Training & Behavior | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Dr. DogLove, or How I Learned to Start Worrying & Loathe Cesar Millan

By Edie Jarolim | Published: September 20, 2009
Sorry about the bad movie pun — it’s been a long, though terrific weekend. My first book signing/talk for Am I Boring My Dog, at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, was a great success. Lots of people and their dogs turned up and a good time was had by all. As I noted on Facebook, I [...]
Posted in Dog Training & Behavior | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Celebrating 5770

By Edie Jarolim | Published: September 18, 2009
I’ve been thinking about sacrilege lately, about the repercussions of bucking religious tradition. It’s a bit of a puzzlement because the religion I grew up with, Judaism, doesn’t offer a clearly defined vision of the sinners’ afterlife. The fact that I had to google the term for the Jewish hell, Gehenna, to get a definition [...]
Posted in Am I Boring My Dog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cesar’s Way Isn’t the Only Way

By Edie Jarolim | Published: September 16, 2009
I mentioned in my last post that if you ask 10 different people what dog training is, you’ll get 10 different answers. I’d like to revise that statement. I suspect a majority would say dog training is what Cesar Millan does on his National Geographic Channel show, The Dog Whisperer. Earlier this week, a friend [...]
Posted in Dog Training & Behavior | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

What is dog training & why do it?

By Edie Jarolim | Published: September 14, 2009
Frankie doesn’t know it yet, but we’re about set out on a new adventure together: Training. And yes, this idea was inspired by his last adventure, being the star of a series of promotional videos for Am I Boring My Dog. It’s not so much that I minded crouching down behind a table with my [...]
Posted in Dog Training & Behavior | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments